Children of the Revolution
by celtic-faery
Summary: As times become darker, and the world just a little more dangerous, people have choices to make and loyalties to decide, but They won't fool the Children of the Revolution.
1. Where Have All The Good Times Gone?

_**Children of the Revolution**_

_**Chapter 1: Where Have All The Good Times Gone?**_

It was exceptionally quiet in the library today, so unlike the common room, and the solitude was particularly peaceful; the only sound penetrating the silence was the occassional rustling of parchment and turning page of an ancient tome. A lone figure could be sought in a dark, secretive corner near the restricted section.

Heaving been up to midnight the previous night studying, and up since half past four this morning, Lily Evans was trying, unsuccessfully, to complete her potions essay. Normally, she would never have been in the library at quarter to nine on a Sunday morning, no matter how close to exams it was, but then, normally, she was never so distracted from her work. Something was troubling her from the previous night, something unprecedented in her entire school career.

Nevertheless, stifling a yawn, Lily attempted to take in the same sentence she had been reading repeatedly for the last ten minutes,**_"... Wormwood has a potente narcotic effect on the senses and should..."_**.

' "A potente narcotic effect", you're telling me', was the only coherent thought escaping the haze that was Lily's befuddled brain as she tried, and failed, to concentrate.

Heavy footsteps approached the dusty corner in which she had planted herself amidst a mountainous pile of leather-bound volumes that gave the impression the sixth year prefect was caught up in the industrious pursuit that was academic study. At least, that was the idea.

"Lily...", a strained, cracked voice sounded upon her ears.

In her weariness, she barely noticed the forced self control held in that one word and began to reply, half yawning, "What do want, Pot-," she looked up and her voice failed her. Tears threatened to escape already red and puffy eyelids and a large purple bruise was evident below his right eye as he stared straight ahead, steely and resolute, at the bookshelf and beyond. Her mind raced back to the ominous events of last night.

"Can I sit here?"

Such was Lily's shock that she barely registered he had said anything until he shifted his gaze to look directly into her eyes, half pleading with her, half daring her to question him.

"Oh ... umm, yeah ... Sure," and she began hastily moving the books that had laden the table. "Did you want any of these? I'm not really using them," although she already knew the answer as he mutely shook his head; it was simply something to say in a difficult situation. "No? I'll just go and take them back then, give you a bit of room." He nodded.

As she walked away, staggering slightly under the weight, her mind reeled. She had known there was something wrong last night when she'd overheard the argument. She had heard them bicker before- they were so close it was inevitable- but this was different. Last night, there had been anger, pure anger, and bitterness and disbelief and a great sense of betrayal. They hadn't noticed her of course; she'd kept her head down, almost hiding where she sat. And whilst she hadn't understood the context of the argument at the time, she had no doubt that she soon would. Or at least, a context according to Gwyneth Pritchard. Things this momentous didn't go unnoticed at Hogwarts, and the seemingly more dramatic the events, the quicker the news would travel.

And it had. The common room had been abuzz with gossip and slander this morning: Lily was not the only one that heard the dormitory door slamming last night, however, as of yet, she _was_ the only other person who knew someone had actually _left_ the Gryffindor Tower, and even though she was a prefect and it was her duty, she hadn't the heart to go after them. Of course, the other girls in her dormitory were very much aware she had not come to bed at the time, and was obviously a witness to at least some of the "action". And that was why she had escaped. She would not be apart of inane defamation, besides, people would fill in the gaps themselves and "know the whole story" without actually knowing anything at all.

Hogwarts had always been so...safe. A safe haven in a dark and troubled time that Lily didn't truly understand. But something had changed. It had started towards the end of her fifth year when her first link towards the magical world had failed her so tragically, leaving her more vulnerable to attack than ever and it frightened her. She had never felt so alone. Foul mutterings of "mudblood" and "dirty, thieving breed" followed her around incessantly these days, while others just kept their distance, as if ignoring both her and the discrimination against her (and those like her), would make it all go away, as if it never existed. But she knew otherwise. She knew that they would soon have to make a choice as to whose side they fought for in the war. She also knew that to not fight would be to condone all that was wrong in this world.

And now this.

Somehow, overnight, her one constant in this lonely world had been taken from her. Broken. She wondered if the laughter would ever return; the infectious feeling of hope, purpose and possibility they brought shattered with it.

Her one true constant. Whether through annoyance, exasperation, persistance, or sometimes just damn bewilderment, he was always there smiling. Their relations had improved so much over the past few months; even if they weren't particularly close, there was certainly courteous affection and civility between the them now. But now the light beaming through round "milk-bottle bottom" glasses had died, and the adolescent with an almost childlike sense of optimism and energy had almost aged beyond recognition. James Potter was a broken man.

* * * * * * *


	2. The Dark Side of the Moon

**Disclaimer: **Having previously forgotten to mention this, whilst I may be English and female, I am not a multi-millionairess, my name is _not_ J. K. Rowling and I do not own Harry Potter (nor, indeed anything associated with said wizard).

**A/N:** Something else I forgot to mention, the title from this story, "Children of the Revolution", has been borrowed from a track by T-Rex (Marc Bolan) from 1973, and chapter one's title, "Where Have All The Good Times Gone", has been borrowed from a track by the Kinks from 1965. I own neither of these (for a start, I'm _far_ too young), and if you haven't heard them- I think they're rather good. There will be a recurring musical theme (all true to the era) to the chapters purely because I feel that music is an essential part of Lily's life.

_Children of the Revolution_

_Chapter 2: The Dark Side of the Moon_

An hour had passed and neither had spoken; Lily because she didn't know what to say without broaching dangerous grounds and James was far too busy staring apathetically into space. It was only when Lily noticed he was bleeding though the sleeve of his navy shirt that she could no longer leave questions unanswered.

"James, what happened last night?" No response. Perhaps he hadn't heard her- she had spoken so softly, almost in the hope that this would be the case. "James, you need to go to the hospital wing." Nothing. "Look, I really think that -"

His look silenced her. No one would have mistaken the dark cloud thundering through his face, threatening a tempest of overwhelming conflict: could he trust her or not? As he drew his portent gaze to meet anxious green eyes, recognition of a friend, a loved one even, caused the shadow to lift and the storm to pass. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as his shoulders slumped and he looked down at his hands.

"I can't."

Confusion swept over Lily, "You can't? What do you mean you can't, you're hurt?!"

"They'll ask questions." James suddenly seem to realise he was bleeding from his left upper arm.

"But you're hurt."

"It's not that bad. Really." However, Lily didn't miss the way his attention had been drawn to the wound as he began fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve.

"James, you _need_ to see someone with that. What if it's infected?" He visibly blanched as she moved around the table to take his hand in hers and started to undo the buttons of the cuff- as if to roll the sleeve back.

"No!" He pulled away. "No. You can't." But the pain was obvious as he winced, having caught it accidentally against the side of the table. Madam Pince, the draconian librarian, began stalking her way towards the table and the two students fell quiet and made as though they were working until her foreboding footsteps diminished. Lily broke the silence with harsh tones.

"James, someone has to see to that wound." Lily's perseverance was beginning to pay off as his resistance was being broken down by the simple fact that, sooner or later, he would need medical attention.

"But I can't. They'll ask questions." Lily wondered vaguely to herself at what point the epitome of impulse, strength and Gryffindor courage had become so meek and hesitant.

"Then let me do it, for pity's sake!" The words fell out of her mouth before she even had a chance to think about them and their implications.

A glimmer of hope shone in his eyes. "Would you?" He grabbed hold of her hands, pulling them towards his chest. "Would you do that?"

Eyes wide and stammering, "But - but I can't - I'm not good enough - I need - you need - " Lily regretted her words immediately.

"Lily, please... Do this for me. Do this for ... me." She felt her resolve melting away as she looked into his pleading face. "Please... You're good at potions... healing charms- I've seen you. The best I've seen. Come on Lily. Please." His hold on her tightened, though not uncomfortably, and his persuasion was complete.

As Lily exhaled and nodded, not knowning quite where to look stood and began gathering all of her parchment together, shoving the pile hastily into her brown leather satchel, and looping the bag over her head and shoulder. She began muttering under her breath. "Right ... essence of murtlap, what else, umm, arnica ... yes, got that ..."

* * * * * * *

Half an hour later, the pair found themselves in the girl's toilets commonly known as 'Moaning Myrtle's bathroom', James leaning against wall farthest from the door sending furtive looks in its general direction and Lily sat cross-legged on the floor in a cubicle arranging interesting looking bottles and herbs in an orderly fashion next to her, silver cauldron balanced precariously on the lid of the toilet seat. She was looking somewhat flustered as she placed it on the floor.

"You owe me for this, you know. Big time." She whispered an incantation, pointing her wand, and a small fire ignited underneath the cauldron before pouring a clear liquid into it.

"Are you sure we won't get caught?" James' glances taking on a nervous overtone, "I mean we are in the middle of the girl's toilet and-"

"Oh, come of it Potter. Since when 'ave you ever been worried about school rules, eh? Don't think I'm so naive as to believe you don't know no one comes in these loos. You of _all_ people. Honestly!" Indignation was not the word for her tone.

"Well, I just worried about _your_ record. You _are_ a prefect, you know!"

Lily scoffed, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow and suddenly doing a remarkable imitation of one Professor McGonagall, "Mr Potter, I will have you know that good girls are merely much better than bad girls at not getting caught! Now get it off."

Having previously been appeased by Lily's capability to banter, James choked on his own breath, "What?"

"Your shirt. It needs to come off." His wide eyes stared incredulously at her as she started pouring what looked like salt crystals into the liquid. "Well, 'ow else am I supposed to see what I'm doin', eh? Come on." She stood up, manoeuvred herself around the potion supplies to stand in front of him, hands on hips. The effect was somewhat ruined by her diminuitive five foot frame against his muscular, nigh on six foot, build. "Look, I did not spend near enough twenty minutes in that dormitory trying to escape Gwyneth's 'Great Inquisition' to have you turn down my request to get you undressed, Sonny Jim! Alright!" He gulped as her fingers made their way to his top button before hastily pushing them away, blushing furiously.

"I'll do it." He turned his back to her, and it was only as he reached the buttons level to his navel that Lily realised the measure of her predicament: she was waiting for a man who had no qualms about his feelings towards her being made public to undress. 'Well', she figured, 'as good as'. She noticed he was struggling to pull the shirt off due to restricted movement and went to help.

"James, here," she spoke softly, her voice so different from its earlier teasing with her Bromley accent punctuating ever word. Her fingers brushed against the nape of his neck as she stood on tip-toes to remove the item of clothing from his right shoulder, and he visibly bristled against her gentle touch.

Once they managed to get the shirt off of his right arm, James turned to make it easier to remove entirely and Lily found herself facing a very well-sculpted chest and felt the heat rapidly rising to her cheeks, holding back a giggle as a voice that sounded somewhat like a rather bolshy muggle friend of hers, Suzie, saying "Funny really, I always thought the first time I'd be undressing a bloke would be in a rather more romantic setting than the bogs ... ah well" ran through her mind.

"Really? Well, yeah, I suppose you would, wouldn't you? Just don't go making a habit of it though, will you Evans? People might talk." James smirked in a lop-sided way only he could ever manage, his embarrassment immediately forgotten in what Lily considered to be a mortifying blunder- thinking aloud.

If only James hadn't been bleeding profusely, he could have revelled in the sight of Lily squirming from sheer shame and horror at her words. "Oh my God ... What the _hell_ have you been doing?!" James began to look uncomfortable under her demanding gaze, and found himself inspecting a very interesting scuff on his leather boot. "James, I can't help you if you don't tell me who or what's done this." That scuff was a _very_ interesting shape, sort of like a mishapen banana, actually. "Was it Sirius?"

"What?" The dark shadow that befell his features in the library returned.

"Was it Sirius? I heard the two of you arguing. Did you have a duel, or something?"

James started chewing the inside of his lip, before answering, rather curtly, "Or something."

Slightly annoyed at her patient's reticence, Lily braced her self for more sarcasm. "So it _was_ Sirius. What were you doing? Fighting?" It was hard to believe, but she had to get the facts straight.

"No." James could feel her critical eyes burning into his profile. "No, it wasn't Sirius. Not directly, anyway."

"So he _was_ involved."

"No... Well, sort of..." Evasion tactics were not going to work.

"Well was he, or wasn't he?"

"Evans, I didn't go to the hospital wing because I didn't want questions. You don't need to know what happened, so just ... do your thing."

"That's just it James, I can't 'do my thing' if I don't know what I'm doing my thing on. I can only do so much, and even then, it might no be enough. I need you to help me out here; tell me what happened... Anything. It's not going to go any further. God knows I kept enough secrets about you four. More than you realise... Any of you." He shook his head, pointedly avoiding her face. "Please, James. I need to know."

"Sirius was involved. He just wasn't there at the time... He was just being reckless. Again... I mean I can understand why he wanted to do it, but he forgot about... He forgot about other people involved. He forgot about consequences..." Lily immediately knew he was protecting someone. And she knew who.

"It was Remus, wasn't it?" James slid down the wall, defeated.

"Yes." A stray tear trickled down his cheek, caressing the angry bruise, and James removed his glasses as he tried to remove the evidence. "Yeah ... yeah, it was. How did you- ?" His quizzical face turned to her empathetic one as she smiled wryly.

"I've known for a while." Lily turned to the cauldron, and submerged a small white cloth in the liquid, before kneeling next to James, who was replacing his glasses. "This might sting a little." She began wiping away the blood from around what was a deep gash in his upper left arm, and he inhaled sharply as some of the liquid worked it's way into the wound.

"What is that? It looked like salt and water when you put it in." Some of the tension that had built up had relieved the moment the weight of explanation had been lifted from him. She knew. She knew and she wasn't bothered by it. It was moments like this when James realised why he loved her.

"Umm, well there's this rather special concoction that I like to call ... salt water?"

"Oh." James eyebrows furrowed together, "Hang on, did you just say-" she shrugged her shoulders and grinned as he rolled his eyes, before shutting them and letting his head fall back, relishing that fact that someone he adored was tending to him in his hour of need.

"It's deep, but I'll see what I can do." Having cleaned the wound, Lily applied a temporary warm compress of murtlap essence before rummaging through her supplies and starting the process of brewing a simple healing potion.

She had just finished bottling up the remainder of "Lily's secret remedy" and was informing James about its correct use whilst he was buttoning up his shirt, when her conscience overthrew her.

It hadn't meant anything at the time, of course, other than a desperate plea for attention. Attention that she wouldn't give him. Not after what had happened. Not after what he had done.

It was on her seventeenth birthday, Saturday 16th January 1977, when she received an anonymous note. "Soon you'll see", it said, in a small cursive script. No name, no ... nothing. But it didn't need a name. Lily knew who it was - she knew the hand that wrote it. And now she had an onimous feeling that he was somehow tangled up in this mess.

Tentatively, she laid a hand on James' forearm and looked up directly into his eyes. "What did he do? What did Severus do?"

James knew he couldn't lie to her, not after what she had done for him today. He chose his words carefully, so she understood. "He had a run in with Sirius. I don't know what happened there, exactly, but I do know that he wanted to know ... where Remus went." James couldn't stand to see her face, so full of dread and so opted to look at the wall behind her.

"And..?"

"And Sirius ... well, Sirius told him." Bitter disappointment in his friend flickered across his face, as Lily's eyes grew wide.

"Yes, Miss Evans. And Mr Potter, here, saved him from what could have been a very nasty accident." The two students span round quickly, neither having heard the door open, and found themselves face to face with their headmaster and head of house.

* * * * * * *

**A/N:** Chapter two's title, "The Dark Side of the Moon", has been borrowed from the epic Pink Floyd album of 1973. Again, I do not own this (well, only the cd, but not the rights- you know what I mean). Thanks also to yield-writershavewriteofway, it means a lot.


End file.
